Freezing fog and snow could make driving conditions treacherous as the cold
snap was forecast to continue for the next four nights.

As temperatures fall as low as 14F (-10C), frost and fog could combine to make roads perilous for the morning rush hour on Tuesday and Wednesday as far south as the Midlands, according to the Met Office.

Freezing fog would impair visibility at the same time as making the road surface slippery, increasing the likelihood of traffic jams and crashes.

The warning came as fresh snow flurries were predicted to fall in the south and along Britain's eastern seaboard for the next three days.

Up to an inch of snow will fall on high ground from East Anglia northwards on Monday while lower areas close to the North Sea will see a light coating, according to forecasters.

The snow showers are likely to affect areas of eastern coastal counties up to 30 miles inland along the entire length of Britain today, the Met Office said.

Although much of the country is forecast to be dry on Tuesday, wintry showers are expected to continue to fall over Kent, with a dusting of snow expected over the Downs.

The county could suffer more showers still on Wednesday, but the rest of the country should be dry.

Temperatures were forecast to fall further this week. It was expected to remain below 39F (4C) on Monday, even in London, with parts of Wales and the West Midlands recording 23F (-5C) overnight. But the Highlands will be colder still, with temperatures as low as 14F (-10C) expected over existing snow fields.

Forecasters said it would remain bitterly cold on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, with 21F (-6C) widely forecast for the countryside.

A Met Office spokesman said freezing fog could subdue temperatures further in the Midlands on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“If that happens, the daytime temperatures in some places aren’t likely to get very much above freezing.”

A Highways Agency spokesman said: “Drivers need to make sure they are driving to the conditions.

“Visibility is going to be poor so drivers need to give themselves time to react so they can slow down if the worst happens.”

The latest forecast came as a pilot died when his light aircraft hit power lines and crashed into a garden pond near Hadleigh, Suffolk on Saturday. It is thought he was trying to make an emergency landing when the plane suffered engine problems in the fog.

Separately, a man died after his car left the road and plunged into a river on Sunday in Carburton, Nottinghamshire. A spokesman for Nottinghamshire Police said inspectors remained “open-minded” to the possibility poor weather was a factor.

Temperatures are expected to increase in time for the weekend, rising as high as 44F (7C) in London and the south west on Friday.

“The cold temperatures and the frosts at night should ease off towards the end of the week,” the Met Office spokesman added.

“We’re starting off with a northerly wind but by the end of the week the winds will be from the south or south east.”